Recommended Travel Lens

[Kantankerous]

Hi guys,

I was hoping to get some help with choosing a recommended lens for my travels at the end of the year to China. I currently use a Canon EOS 20D and have the following gears:

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
Canon EF-S 18 - 55mm f/3.5 - 5.6
Canon EF-S 55 - 250mm f/4 - 5.6 IS

As I will be going during winter I was looking for possibly a great all-round lens where I won't need to change lenses nearly as frequently as I otherwise should when moving around (I had almost dropped my 50mm into the second pit of the Terracotta Warriors last year! Don't want a repeat!)

I don't mind a prime lens but I think I would probably prefer one that has a decent range taking into account that I'd like to take both portrait as well as landscape shots. Possibly a 17 - 55mm or more? Also considering the fact it's going to be winter I'd hoped to get something with a low f range to help with low lighting shooting situations as I tend to take quite a bit of night photography.

My budget is approximately $600 give or take. It won't bother me if its a $100 - $200 more but I'd prefer to keep it as low as possible. Anything more and I may have to reconsider!

Cheers for any help!

[OsmosisStudios]

17-55 replicates the 18-55: you said you needed some more range than that.

Canon do make a 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 IS, and it's very good. Dont know about budget, but definitely worth a look.

Gives you landscape possibilities, a good working walkabout range and good image quality. The only thing it isn't is fast, which means low light might not be great, but if you pair it with a nifty fifty, you're set.

[Mishkyah]

I recommend the:

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro

I reckon its got the longest name of any lens lol but if you read all the reviews i dont think you can beat it, right price, right focal length, fast, light weight (compaired to canon L series) and great IQ

Mine stays on my camera 90% of the time